San Antonio — On Nov. 6, 2025, the council approved a pair of rezonings (items 7 and 8) intended to restrict new heavy‑industrial uses adjacent to long‑established East Side neighborhoods.

Councilmember Mickey Rodríguez, who sponsored the amended plan, told the commission the changes followed months of outreach and include specific parcel removals and conditional uses intended to prevent new heavy‑truck and industrial operations from locating next to homes and schools. Staff recommended approval and described the amendments brought forward after neighborhood negotiations.

The rezonings cover a corridor roughly bounded by Sprout Center Drive, the railroad tracks, Salado Creek and Willow Springs and would change multiple parcels from I‑2 (industrial heavy) to industrial‑light and mixed commercial designations. The staff recommendation, adopted by the council as amended, removes specific addresses from the map and adds conditional use permits for large‑vehicle storage and other uses on specified parcels.

Jacqueline Ali, representing the United Homeowners Association, and scores of residents described decades of truck traffic, dust and air quality impacts they say have affected health and quality of life. "Eso no es crecimiento económico, eso es eso es racismo ecológico medioambiental en lo que es zonificación, y para todos los que están sentados ahí tienen el poder de detenerlo o de continuarlo," one resident said during the hearing, summarizing community testimony that the existing pattern of industrial uses reflects long‑standing environmental justice concerns.

Property owners and commercial representatives also spoke, saying some purchasers paid for I‑2 rights and expressed frustration about notice and potential loss of property value; several asked for additional time for owner outreach or mitigation agreements. In response, the council and sponsor noted the approved amendments aim to balance existing businesses' operations while preventing future heavy‑industrial encroachment.

Notices for the rezonings were mailed broadly: staff reported 454 notifications with 111 returned in favor and 12 in opposition inside the notice area. The council approved the rezonings as amended; no roll‑call vote tally was read into the record during the public audio.

The changes do not remove existing industrial operations; rather, they limit future heavy‑industrial uses and add conditional controls on particular parcels. Staff and the sponsor said the effects will be phased and that some current uses will remain subject to existing permits.

Residents asked the council to consider additional enforcement and monitoring; councilmembers directed staff to continue outreach and to return with details if enforcement questions arise.